Organised by the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) and sponsored by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the 20th ifva officially starts today with the jury panel this year and other creative producers attending the ceremony: Chang Tieh-Chih (Chief Editor of City Magazine), New Youth Barbershop (an up-and-coming Local Band), arumimihifumi (Stage Artist and Indie Musician), Wong Ping Animation Lab, Mable Ho (Head of Film Programmes of Leisure and Cultural Services Department), Connie Lam (Executive Director of Hong Kong Arts Centre) and Kattie Fan (ifva Director).

Also announced today are the full competition entry details including categories, prizes and jury members including Shi Nan-sun (Veteran Film Producer), Doryun Chong (Chief Curator of M+).

Activate and kindle the creative sparks while tracing the footsteps 
The “Independent Spirit” is the keyword for the 20th ifva – and indeed this has been the case with the promotion of independent filmmaking as ifva’s core mission for two decades. The focus was initially on the competition it organised, “Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards”. Gradually ifva has evolved as the “incubator for film and visual media in Asia”, with festivals and competitions open for various categories to promote the spirit of independent filmmaking in diverse ways. 

In celebration of ifva’s second decade, the perfect time now comes to reflect on the past, reinforce the spirit of ifva and inspire the coming generations of film practitioners as to stay true to their dreams they start out with. It is precisely the unique voices of the creators that matter for the spirit for independent filmmaking, and equally important is to value each idea and fuel the passion for creativity. 

Stay bold and creative in the spirit of independent production 
Everyone is entitled to their own definitions of independent production, which vary from person to person with experiences that cannot be summed up easily. For ifva this year, a series of interviews with creative practitioners, directors and other representatives of independent filmmaking will take us through their stories to inspire discussion and reflection. Interviewees include Choi Kam-chuen Jimmy (one of the Founders of ifva), Chong Man-keung Felix (local Film Director), Adrian Chow (Songwriter) and Wong Ping. 

Among the many interpretations of this “independent spirit”, Wong Ping, the Gold Award winner of Animation category in the 18th ifva Awards, speaks through his creations his own philosophy. “What makes independent production the most precious is the power to be totally in charge of the process, “ he says. “Therefore what we are paid for are the unique ideas – together with the creative minds behind.” This year, ifva invites Wong to create a series of advertising collaterals and his design visualises this idea: any cultural producer should always be sincere to his own self and never allow any external factors to change his mind. As collaborating partners, Wong’s staunch refusal to sell “merely technical expertise” for his company, Wong Ping Animation Lab, alongside ifva’s respect for originality, echoes this year’s theme to spark creativities.

Independent production=low quality? 
A strong network of support is necessary even for independent film production, and this is further strengthened this year. Post Production Office Ltd. (PO), for example, will sponsor all colour-grading post-production services for 10 finalists in the Open category, who will then partner with professionals to enhance the qualities of their final pieces. 

Apart from software support, the role of fitting hardware cannot be understated. This year, HGST (Asia-Pacific) and Blackmagic Design (Asia-Pacific) will sponsor professional external harddisks, photographic equipment and software in full support of film production. Another highlight for this year is the opportunity of overseas exchange available for winners from Open, Animation and Media Art categories. 

Grow the map of influence with a global perspective 
As in previous years, ifva now accepts entries for short films and animation from Asian countries and expands this year to the media arts as well. The category “Interactive Media” is also renamed “Media Art”. These changes come about with the diversification for nationalities and artistic media in the hope that more filmmakers will be able to join the ifva platform and have access to more opportunities than before. For example, Cheuk Sze-wing Chloe and Wong Chi-chuen Kenny (winners of 19th ifva Awards - Interactive Media Category) will be subsidised with a grant to Austria for a six-week artist-in-residence programme following this year’s partnership with Ars Electronica Festival. Moreover, their winning entry, Iris, will be exhibited as part of the Ars Electronica Festival 2014. 

Foster connections with more partners to create masterpieces 
For twenty years, ifva has empowered the successes of countless directors and creative practitioners. This creative collaboration “ifva greenlab” continues this year with past winners including Cheuk Wan-chi, Cheuk Yick-him and Chow Kwun-wai invited to produce short films. 

Expand the reach of education as the Incubator for the next generation 
In addition to organising competitions, ifva is dedicated to all kinds of educational efforts. The filmmaking project “All About Us” for youths of ethnic minorities is one of the examples. Participants learn from filmmakers and video artists the techniques and expressions for creativity. “Community Tour” invites ifva awards winners, to present their works to students in various educational institutions. The three-month “ifva+” series allows various creative practitioners to share their ideas and inspiration with audience. Co-organised with UNICEF HK, the ‘Believe In Zero. Make A Video’ campaign combines day camps with video workshops.

The 20th ifva awards is now open for entries and nominations! 
Submission Deadline: 22 / 10 / 2014 (Wed) 6pm 
Details and Submission: www.ifva.com
Enquiry: ifva@hkac.org.hk / 2824 5329